TEACHABLE MEDICAL NEWS

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Category: reproductive system

Why the test to predict preeclampsia is hailed as a great news?

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On November 22, 2023

In cardiovascular system, reproductive system, urinary system

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. blood vessel chapter – layers of the wall of arteries
  2. blood vessel chapter — blood pressure regulation through vasoconstriction and vasodilation
  3. urinary system chapter – filtering membrane of the glomerulus in the renal corpuscle
  4. development chapter – blood vessels in the placenta

The news item:  Recently the following news item appeared online:

FDA approves groundbreaking blood test for early preeclampsia detection in pregnant women

The FDA has approved a new blood test that can detect whether a mother will potentially get preeclampsia within 30 minutes.

The report describes preeclampsia as high blood pressure in pregnant women, and that in the state of Georgia hypertensive disorders are the leading cause of maternal death. The article describes the name of the test: BRAHMS sFlt1/PlGF KRYPTOR.

So, Why Do I Care??  The death of pregnant mothers is a tragic event that could cause the death of their unborn child as well.  When pregnancy-related high blood pressure appears, the medical response depends on how high the blood pressure is. Once a test predicts that preeclampsia will appear in a pregnant woman, the obstetrician can make preparations for monitoring and further possible actions. When the medical professionals are ready to make treatment choices, it is more  likely that the intervention will be successful, and both mother and baby will survive.

Plain English, Please!!!  First, let’s talk about why high blood pressure appears in pregnant women who had normal blood pressure before the pregnancy. By the end of the first month of pregnancy the fetus builds a placenta, an organ that incorporates a layer of the mother’s uterus as well. The purpose of the placenta to provide a place for exchange of oxygen and nutrients from the blood of the mother to the blood of the fetus, and for the exchange of carbon dioxide and other waste products from the blood of the fetus to the blood of the mother. This can be achieved only if a large number of fetal blood vessels and maternal blood vessels are part of the placenta. In the fetuses where the number of blood vessels is low in the placenta, the fetus will be deficient in oxygen, and the blood vessels release stress factors such as placenta growth factor (PlGF), and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt1). Those stress factors reprogram the blood vessels of the mother to contract, and the contracting blood vessels increase blood pressure. Imagine a balloon filled with water. If you squeeze the balloon the force will increase water pressure to the point that balloon may burst. Smooth muscle cells in the wall of arteries do the squeezing (vasoconstriction) that increases blood pressure.

Second, let’s talk about why is preeclampsia harmful. High blood pressure in the mother can cause strokes by dislodging clots from large blood vessels and moving them to the brain where the clots block

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Can we attack breast cancer with a vaccine?

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On May 8, 2023

In endocrine system, lymphatic and immune system, reproductive system, tissues

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. tissues chapter – epithelial tissue lines the interior of lactiferous ducts
  2. female reproductive system chapter – location of lactiferous ducts in mammary gland
  3. endocrine system chapter – cells need hormone receptors to react to hormones
  4. immune system – the roles of T and B lymphocytes in immune response

The news item:  The following report appeared recently:

Potential breast cancer vaccine undergoing testing

The key protein for a potential vaccine that would treat breast cancer was found through “a matter of luck and tenacity.”

The article states that a key protein was found to serve in the making of a vaccine against breast cancer. This protein is made by breast cancer cells, but not by normal mammary glands.

So, Why Do I Care??  There is over 350,000 new breast cancer diagnosis each year in the US, and over 43,000 women die yearly from this cancer. There are several types of surgical and chemotherapeutical treatments after the diagnosis, however; preventative measures, such as vaccination, would be a great way to decrease the number of breast cancer diagnoses.

Plain English, Please!!!  First, let’s talk about what breast cancer is. Despite the name, breast cancer doesn’t mean that the entire breast turned into a mass of cancer cells. Breast cancer refers to the cancerous changes in the mammary gland. Most frequently cancer cells develop in the epithelial tissues of lobules (where milk is produced) and in the lining of lactiferous ducts.

Second, let’s talk about what is a triple negative breast cancer. The normal growth of the mammary gland during pregnancy is stimulated by the hormones estrogen and progesterone, and epidermal

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Can we treat breast cancer by targeting a mutation in the cancer cells?

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On November 12, 2022

In cellular basis of life, reproductive system

TeachableMedicalNews article 11122022

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. cellular basis of life chapter – concept of one gene, one protein
  2. cellular basis of life chapter – concept of gene mutation leading to protein malfunction
  3. cellular basis of life chapter – cell division is regulated
  4. female reproductive system chapter – anatomical location of mammary ducts

The news item: Recently the following reporting appeared online:

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The article states that the newly approved breast cancer treatment, Piqray, is for the HR+, HER2 – advanced breast cancer cases. The article also states that this new drug is targeting PIK3CA mutations.

So, Why Do I Care??  There are over 280,000 new breast cancer diagnoses each year in the USA. Deaths from breast cancer is estimated to be over 43,000 each year in the USA. Every new treatment regimen reduces the number of deaths, or increases survival time. In addition, a drug that targets mutated cancer cells also lowers the side effects, because only the mutated cells are attacked.

Plain English, Please!!! First, let’s talk about what breast cancer is. In all cancers the normal cells of a particular portion of the body transformed, so they suddenly gain the ability to divide without control. In the case of breast cancer the epithelial cells of the inner lining of mammary ducts transform into cancer cells. The mammary duct cells divide in controlled fashion to fill gaps where cell died in the duct.

Second, let’s talk about why cancer cells divide without control. Our cells normally divide by going through the steps of interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, the process that divides

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Can a virus test replace the traditional test for cervical cancer?

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On August 12, 2021

In cellular basis of life, microbiology, reproductive system, tissues

TeachableMedicalNews article 08122021

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. cellular basis of life chapter – mitosis, cell cycle controls to limit cell division
  2. reproductive system chapter – anatomy of the female reproductive system
  3. tissues chapter – epithelium that lines the female reproductive system
  4. microbiology – human papilloma viruses

The news item:  Recently the following report about cervical cancer testing appeared:

Are Pap smears ‘obsolete’? There’s a better option for cervical cancer screening, American Cancer Society says

The American Cancer Society released new guidelines on cervical cancer screenings Thursday, recommending that people with a cervix start testing at age 25.

The article describes the debate whether the HPV test could replace the Pap smear test. The article states that despite the Pap smear testing, there are over 13,000 new cervical cancer cases per year, and there are over 4,000 deaths. The article also states that the HPV test is screening for human papilloma virus, and the Pap test is screening for cancerous cells.

So, Why Do I Care??  Cervical cancer is a deadly cancer, as the article stated from a yearly 13,000 new diagnoses there are over 4,000 deaths.  While vaccination has been available against cervical cancer, a better diagnostic method is still needed until everyone is vaccinated.

Plain English, Please!!!

First, let’s talk about what cervical cancer is. The narrow, tube-shaped part of the uterus, the cervix, opens into the vagina. The cervix has a thin lining epithelium, and that cell layer is where cancerous

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Can a genetic mutation of cancer cells be exploited to kill them?

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On March 28, 2021

In cellular basis of life, chemical basis of life, digestive system, reproductive system

TeachableMedicalNews article 03282021

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. chemical basis of life chapter – DNA structure as double helix
  2. cellular basis of life chapter – DNA replication during mitosis
  3. cellular basis of life chapter – DNA mutation of a gene usually diminishes protein function
  4. digestive system – anatomy of pancreatic duct (origin of most pancreatic cancers)
  5. reproductive system – anatomy of ovary (surface epithelium is the origin of most ovarian cancers)

The news item:  Recently this article appeared online about a new pancreatic cancer treatment:

FDA approves drug for treating pancreatic cancer

Health regulators clear AstraZeneca and Merck treatment for disease projected to kill 46,000 Americans this year.

The article states that Lynparza has been approved for the treatment of ovarian cancers with BRCA mutation, and this approval is now extended to pancreatic cancers with the same mutation. The article also states that the BRCA mutation hinders fixing DNA damage, that Lynparza is a PARP inhibitor, and that 46,000 Americans die yearly because of pancreatic cancer.

So, Why Do I Care??  Pancreatic cancer has a very low survival rate, because the diagnosis usually happens in the late stage of the cancer. A new drug will likely increase survival rates among those 46,000 patients.

Plain English, Please!!!   First, let’s talk about the BRCA mutation. When cells undergo mitosis (cell division) the DNA is copied (replicated), so the new cell can have as much DNA as the starter cell.

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Why eating Listeria-contaminated food can be life threatening?

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On October 22, 2020

In cellular basis of life, digestive system, lymphatic and immune system, nervous system, reproductive system

TeachableMedicalNews article 10222020

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. cellular basis of life chapter – cytosol
  2. nervous system chapter – location of meninges
  3. immune system chapter – vasodilation during inflammation
  4. immune system chapter – emigration by white blood cells
  5. microbiology – Listeria monocytogenes biology

The news item:  Recently a Listeria outbreak was reported to have started from contaminated mushrooms:

Enoki mushrooms tied to listeria outbreak that killed four people and hospitalized 31, CDC says | CNN

Enoki mushrooms are linked to four deaths and 31 hospitalizations in what the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says was a multistate listeria outbreak that is now presumed to be over.

The article stated that Listeria outbreak is caused by a bacterium, and that the symptoms of infection are stiff neck, loss of balance, miscarriage, confusion and fever.

So, Why Do I Care??

Infection by Listeria bacterium is the third leading cause of food borne illness, and it is the most lethal food borne illness by killing about 15 – 20% of the infected individuals.  In the US each year about 1600 people get infected, and 260 die. The victims are the most vulnerable of society: elderly, pregnant women, and immunosuppressed people.

Plain English, Please!!!

First, let’s talk about what Listeria is. Listeria is a type of bacterium that infects human beings when they consume Listeria-contaminated food. The bacterium lives

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Could a targeted blockage of cell division become a new way to treat breast cancer ?

By

On July 16, 2020

In cellular basis of life, chemical basis of life, reproductive system

TeachableMedicalNews article 07162020

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. chemical basis of life – tertiary structure of proteins
  2. cellular basis of life chapter – cell cycle
  3. cellular basis of life chapter – stages of mitosis
  4. reproductive system chapter – structures of the mammary gland

The news item:  Recently a new form of cancer treatment was in the news:

Newer drug extends lives of young breast cancer patients, study finds

The drug Kisqali (ribociclib) is already approved by the FDA, and new research shows it helps some breast cancer patients live longer

The article states that the drug Kisquali extended the survival time of breast cancer patients, and that the drug is a CDK4/6 inhibitor.

So, Why Do I Care??  In the USA alone there will be over 270,000 breast cancer cases in 2020, and it is expected that more than 47,000 breast cancer deaths will happen.  Any improvement in the survival rate over the treatment by traditional chemotherapy is good news.  In addition, attacking breast cancer from a new direction may improve the treatment of other cancers as well.

Plain English, Please!!! First, let’s talk about breast cancer. This cancer is not actually the cancer of the entire breast. Within the breast tissue there is a gland called mammary gland that makes milk in mothers after giving birth. The milk is made in deeper segments of the gland, and several tubes called lactiferous ducts bring the milk to the skin surface. It is the cells of those ducts that develop cancer in most breast cancers.

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